Help, I am new to everything

Padraigh1234

No one in my family has hunted before, and all the forms are very daunting. At least to me. But I understand why they are in place. So I was just hoping someone could help me. How do you go about getting permission to shoot. Or what land is the best to shoot on. Where do I start, basically. It seems difficult, so any help is appreciated.

Grizzly 45

Welcome to the jungle here Padrig, and welcome to the world of hunting...

Ok, where to start?Well if you are a complete newbie, your best bet is to find someone who will be a mentor to you and is close to where you live?So where abouts are you in Ireland?Also, what do you want to hunt?Some guys just hunt vermin, some just birds like pheasant and partridges, others waterfowl, others deer or big game.They are all different areas, requiring different gear and guns.

Your geography can determine a lot what the locals hunt too.Say you are living near a river estuary, you won't find too many deer hunters, but plenty of wildfowlers.
So decide what you want to hunt first, what is easy for you to get to in your locality and start from there.
As for permission to shoot, try your local game or gun club, or simply go out into the area you want to shoot in and just knock on farmers and landowners doors... Some will say sod off,others will tell you the ground is already taken by the local gun club,then info mine them as to who ,what,where about said club,and see if you can join them,and you are right onto a mine of experiance and further info.

I will tell you this tho..You'll never learn it all in hunting.It's a new experience every day that will keep you enthralled every time you go out.Its addictive and spiritual, and you will develop a WONDERFUL sense of humour having to deal with our friends the Guards and politicians,with firearms, the look of shock, horror and spite from friends, family and others when you tell them you hunt .:p And your skills of debate,and arguemet will become very sharp as well. Enjoy the trip.
Grizzly 45

Padraigh1234

I live in Louth, but I am very willing to travel. I want to hunt deer, and I am making headway with my firearm licence. However, because I want to hunt deer, I have to specify on the firearm form? Then provide evidence, which is permission from a land owner. But which land owner? I would travel where I need to. I also believe I need the HCAP? I am aware of what it is, but how do I apply and so forth. I looked online for hours, and found very little.

cookimonster

Firstly and it's a biggy you need to slow down and realy think about what your getting into. As a complete novice with no connections to the hunting world your aiming for the top of the ladder before even testing the first rung.

The logistics for deer hunting : transport (getting to your deer permission and bringing back your kill), cold storage, butchery location and skill base, long term meat storage .... and all this before we talk firearms selection, firearm safety, firearm security, marksmanship, let alone the ability to hunt your prey both ethicaly and legally. ...... but all is not lost it can be done.

I would advise you to secure your land permission first - a minimum of 100 acres (No arguing lads, no need to put a new lad at odds with the NPWS) with deer, if this is a new permission not all ready approved by the NPWS it will have to be checked by the local wildlife warden to ensure it is suitable for deer stalking. This permission will have to be in writing, the NPWS supply standard permission forms.
When applying for your DHL you'll have to declare the calibre of rifle your going to use with the appropriate bullet grain and the make of rifle. This means you'll need to do some research and a lot of gun porn. At present your looking at a calibre from 22-250, .243, 6.5, .270, 308, 30-06 just to mention a few, all have their lovers and haters.

In relation to the rifle you will have to be careful, there are plenty of gun dealers who'll take your deposit and even a full payment with no regards to weather you'll be granted a firearms license. To get a license here for a deer rated centre fire you'll need either a deer hunting licence or membership to a suitable range before the Guards will consider you. So firstly insure your eligible - age, no criminal record, of temperate nature etc etc ..see firearms application form. After that the Guards may insist you do a firearms safety course and have a certain degree of home security for firearm storage.

But back to basics, as Grizz said your better off trying to find someone to hook up with in order to see the whole thing first hand. I know plenty of shooters that aren't hunters and have no stomach for the kill and all that comes after that - grolloching, skinning butchering etc. So before you drop a high chunk of money that you'll never recuperate in full make sure you know what your getting into it.

Padraigh1234

I appreciate the kind words of advice. I got in touch with my local gun club, and they pointed me in the direction of a suitable range, to aid in getting my actual firearm licence. I also got in contact with a deer hunter within my local, so things are making some progress. I am very thankful for any other information that comes my way.